Dame Alison Lee Caroline Foster, Lady Havelock-Allan (born 22 January 1957), styled The Hon Mrs Justice Foster, is a British barrister and judge of the High Court of England and Wales. Foster was appointed to the

High Court of England and Wales The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Senior Courts of England and Wales. Its name is abbreviated as EWHC (England ...

in October 2019, assigned to the Queen's Bench Division.

Personal

Foster married Sir Mark Havelock-Allan on 22 May 1986. They have three children.

Education

Foster attended

Jesus College, Oxford Jesus College (in full: Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship S ...

where she read English, and then the

Courtauld Institute of Art The Courtauld Institute of Art (), commonly referred to as The Courtauld, is a self-governing college of the University of London specialising in the study of the history of art and conservation. It is among the most prestigious specialist col ...

, where she read for an

MPhil The Master of Philosophy (MPhil; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. In the United States, an MPhil typically includes a taught portion and a significant research portion, during which a thesis project is conducted under supervision. An MPhil m ...

in illuminated texts. She subsequently studied the law conversion course at London's City University with the benefit of a scholarship from Jesus College. She was elected an Hon. Fellow of Jesus College in 2020.

Career

Foster practised in tax and administrative law at

39 Essex Chambers 39 Essex Chambers is a long established barristers' chambers based in London with over 150 barristers, including 58 King's Counsel. The chambers offers expertise in commercial, common, construction, costs, environmental and planning, public and ...

, where she rose to be joint head of chambers, before she was appointed a judge. Foster was called to the Bar by Inner Temple in 1984, and appointed

Queen's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister or ...

in 2002. In the same year she was elected a Bencher of Inner Temple. She was appointed a Deputy High Court Judge in the Chancery Division in 2008 and in the Queen's Bench Division, Administrative Court, in 2018.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, Alison 1957 births Living people Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford English barristers British women lawyers 21st-century King's Counsel